Advertising exhibitor



June 23, 1931.

A. J. KAUFFMA-N ADVERTISING EXHIBITOR Filed Sept. 25, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 23, 1931. A. J. KAUFFMAN ADVERTISING EXHIBITOR Filed Sept. 23, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q: flZbarZ Jffau ymcuv,

June 23, 1931. A. J. KAUFFMAN ADVERTISING EXHIBITOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 25, 1929 NIN- m. w.- ply-R Patented June 23, 1931 ALBERT J. KAUFFMAN, or HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA ADVERTISING EXHIBITOR Application filed September 23, 1929. Serial No. 394,594.

This invention is designed as an improvement over the advertislng eXh1b1tor illustrated in Letters Patent No. 1,707 ,861, issued to me April 2nd, 1929, and my co-pending application Serial No. 224,856,'fi1ed October 8th, 1927, the device of the present invention being adapted for use in the same manner as set out in said patent and application.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a more positive and accurate carriage drive mechanism for transferring cards or other advertising medii from one compartment of the advertising casing to another to selectively position the advertising data in the path of vision of passengers in public service vehicles or the like, the device of the present invention being practically noiseless and unaffected by the vibratory ac tion of a taxi-cab or other vehicle in which the exhibitor is mounted.

Another important object of the present invention resides in the transfer mechanism for the advertising cards or other medii which is designed and set up in the exhibitor casing in amanner which positively effects successful feeding of the cards into position for interception by the carriage assembly during the traversing movement of the latter in the casing. A coordinate object of the invention is to provide a carriage assembly of novel designwith positive frictionless transfer and operating mechanism which may be connected to the transmission or other movable part of the vehicle in which the exhibitor is mounted. V

Other objects and advantages will be man ifest to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, where- Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of an advertising exhibitor constructed in accordance with the present invention, showing the front wall thereof removed to disclose details.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line 3'3 of Fig. 2.

Fig.4 is a perspective view, looking at the inner face of the front wall of the exhibitor casing.-

Fig. 5 is a detail enlarged fragmentary sectional View of the carriage assembly. 7

Fig. 6 is a detail horizontal sectional view, 5: taken through the bottom of the casing, illustrating to advantage the carriage assembly operating screw shaft, showing a portion of the assembly in operative connection with the shaft at one end of the latter.

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing a portion of the carriage assembly in operative connection with the opposite end of theshaft.

Fig.8 is a plan view ofthe carriage assembly, showing to advantage the screw operating shaft engaging portion thereof.

Fig. 9 is a detail enlarged fragmentary sectional viewof the carriage assembly, illustrating to advantage the frictionless carriage reversing mechanism.

Fig. 10 isa detail fragmentary sectional view of the pawl carrying casing block.

Fig. 11 is a detail enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the clutch mechanism used in the presentinvention; and,

Fig. 12 is a vdetail enlarged fragmentary elevational View of a modified forlnof carriage pawl.

The exhibitor constructed in accordance with the present invention comprehends the use of a casing, which, in the present instance, is shown to be of substantially oblong design and is relatively narrow, providing a compact structure which may be conveniently inserted within the confines of a taxicab wall of standard construction. The body of the casing is generally designated 13 and is provided with a detachable rear wall 14- and a hinged front wall 15. The front-wall is provided with openings in whichtrans- 0 parent elements 16 are mounted. It is to be understood that the rear wall may also be provided with transparentopenings and may also be hinged, if desired, the present struc ture being shown for purposes of illustration only because of its adaptation for use in taxi-cabs.

The bottom wall of the casing is provided with a pair of upstanding guide rails 17, which are arranged in longitudinal align- 1 ment in parallel relation to the longitudinal axis of the casin It will be noted that the proximate ends of the rails are spaced from each other and the outer terminals of the rails spaced from the terminals of the casing for a purpose hereinafter set forth. Each end of the casing body 13 is equipped with a pair of parallelly arranged spacing bars 17, which are shown as formed integral with the casing. The bars 17 serve to prevent contact of the terminals of the advertising cards with the casing and hold the cards in position for facile and effective interception by the carriage.

The inner faces of the front and rear walls of the casing are of substantially the same design and consequently I will hereinafter specifically describe only the front wall assembly, which is illustrated to advantage in Fig. 4. A frame 21 is formed on the inner face of the wall and projects inwardly beyond the latter for impingement against the faces of the advertising cards 20 to retain the latter compactly centered in the casing, as illustrated to advantage in Fig. 3. The frame 21 also serves to house the transparent elements 16, the latter being secured to the frame in any desired manner. A. hearing block 22 is carried by an intermediate portion of the frame 21, which is provided with a bore in which a shaft 23 is rotatably mounted. The shaft 23 is connected either directly, as shown at the back of the casing, to a pawl 24, or indirectly, through the medium of links 25, as shown at the front of the casing (see Fig. 2 of the drawings). It is preferable to employ the links 25 in the front of the casing to project the pawls beyond the transparent elements 16. When the shaft 23 is connected directly to the pawls 2d, a tension spring 26 is sleeved on the shaft having one end anchored on the latter and. the opposite end secured to the casing. Preferably the top of the frame 21 has portions thereof bent upwardly at right angles to provide a space adapted for the reception of lamps 27, which may be connected, in a manner well known in the art, with a source of electric current or other energy by which the lamps are lighted. Flat springs 28 are mounted near the bottom of the front wall 15 at the opposite ends of the latter, each spring having one end thereof secured to the wall and the opposite end flexed outwardly for a purpose to be herein after set forth. The wall is secured from displacement in the body of the casing by look ing fingers 29 which are adapted for engagement with the casing.

A platform 30 is mounted in the casing near the bottom of the latter and has the opposite ends thereof bifurcated, the furcations 31 of which straddle extensions 32, which are formed integral with the end walls of the casing body 13 and form a part of the supporting platform. The platform is detachably secured to the extensions 32 in any desired manner, to permit removal of said platform and its associated mechanism, hereinafter described, at the option of the user. The platform extends the full length of the casing and is preferably rectangular in crosssection for slidable engagement with a complemental carriage assembly or unit, generally designated 33. The carriage assembly or unit 33 consists of a channel body 34L, which is substantially ELF-shaped in cross-section and is provided with advertising card receiving ledges 35, each of which is of a width sufficient to accommodate one card and is in a plane on a parity with the upper face of the platform 30. The carriage assembly also includes a rock bar 36, which is pivotally mounted midway its ends on the bottom of the channel body 3d of the carriage assembly and has the opposite ends thereof formed to provide semi-circular colla rs 37 which have screw threads formed on the concave faces thereof adapted to mesh with complemental threads 33, which are formed on an operating shaft 39, ournaled in the bottom of the casing body 13. As is apparent from Figs. 6 and T of the drawings, one of the collars 3? is at all times in engagement with the shaft 39 and when so engaged, rides inside of the rail 17. The opposite collar rides outside of the rail until the travel of the carriage is completed. As soon as the collar, which is lying outside of the rail, reaches the terminal of the latter, it will be urged, under the influence of one of the springs 28, into engagement with the shaft 39, which correspondingly insures disengagement of the opposite collar.

One end 40 of the shaft 39 is provided with a clutch face, which is adapted to mesh with a correspoinling face formed on a clutch head 41, revolubly mounted in one end of the easing body 13. The clutch faces are normally held engaged through the medium of the spring 42, which encircles the shank of the clutch head ll. The clutch head shank is adapted to be engaged by any suitable mechanism with the transmission, or some other moving part of the vehicle in which the exhibitor is mounted. The co-acting teeth of the clutch faces are so formed that operative engagement is effected only when the shank of the clutch head is turned in a counterclockwise direction, or when the vehicle is moving in a forward direction. Conversely, when the vehicle reverses its movement, the clutch head rotates in a clockwise direction and permits the teeth of its head to move ineffectively over the clutch face 40. It will be noted, especially upon reference to Fig. 6 of the drawings, that the shaft 39 is provided with screw threads of opposite pitch so as to effect reverse movement of the carriage assembly when the latter reaches each terminal of the casing. As is manifest, when the rock bar 36 has one of its collars engaged with -the threads at one end of the shaft 39, as shown in "Fig. 6, the carriage assembly is moved towardone end of the casing, whereas, when the opposite collar of the rock bar is engaged with the oppositely disposed teeth atthe 0pposite end of the shaft 39, the carriage moves to the other end of'the casing.

In order to provide a frictionless yet positive and noiseless drive for the carriage as sembly, I provide suitable means interposed between the carriage assembly 33 and. platform 30. The means consists generally of floating bars .43, each of which is diamond shape in cross-section. One bar is mounted in complemental grooves 44, formed in the proximate faces of the channel body 34 of the carriage assembly and the platform 30, as shown to advantage in Fig. 5. Each of the bars 43 is provided with a cog wheel 45, rotatably mounted on a vertical'axis about midway the ends of the bar, the teeth of the cog wheel projecting beyond the bar for engagement with complemental teeth formed in the chan nel body 34 of the carriage and in the platform 30. Since the platform 30 is fixed, it is apparent that movement of the carriage rotates the cog wheel to advance the bar 43 in harmony with the movement of the carriage. The opposite ends of each bar 43 are equipped with a pair of anti-friction rollers 46, the axes of which are at right angles to each other so as to permit the peripheries of the rollers to bear against the angular faces of the walls of the grooves 44. Since, as illustrated to advantage in Fig. 5, one of the floating bars 43 is mounted on each side of the plat-form, it is apparent that movement of the carriage along the platform in either direction will eliminate friction, and by reason of the intermeshing of the cog wheels with the carriage channel body and platform, a positive drive structure is provided to pre vent slippage of the rollers or loss of motion and insure proper operating etliciency of the carriage under all conditions.

A finger 47 is pivotally mounted on op-' posite sides of the platform, at each end of the latter, one of the terminals of each finger being beveled to slide across the cards 20 when the carriage is moving in one direction. The opposite terminal of each finger is extended to engage an abutment 48 formed on the casing to automatically set the finger when the carriage reaches one terminus of the casing, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and thereby position the finger in the path of one of the cards 20 to urge the latter from one compartment of the casing to the other against the resistance of the catches 19. The catches 19 are yieldingly mounted in a block 18 which latter is provided with recesses complementing the catches 19. Preferably the catches are pivoted at opposite terminals, so as to impinge against the cards 20, traveling from one compartment to the other of the casing in opposite directions. As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the block 18 is mounted upon the platform 30 between the sides of the carriage channel member 34, so that the free ends of the catches 19 will normally project above the ledges 35 of the channel member for engagement with the cards 20 carried on said ledges. If desired, ablock 18 may also be mounted near the top of the casing and equipped with catches located in the path of the traveling cards near the upper marginal edges of the latter, in order to more positively effect look: ing of cards in compartment immediately after transfer of card is made.

12 of the drawings, a modified form of finger, lesignated 47, is illustrated which is pivotally mounted on the channel member of the carriage assembly 33. One of the lateral margins of the finger is enlarged and adapted to be normally projected across the ledge 35' of the carriage channel member by a spring 47 which is secured to the latter. It will be apparent that the finger 47 functions in the same manner as the finger 47.

It will be noted that the platform 30 is equipped on the oppositesides thereof with, near one end, fiat springs 50, one end of each of which is secured to the platform and the opposite end permitted to flex outwardly to support the free terminal of anadvertising card which is flexed outwardly under the influence of the pawl 24, hearing against the opposite end of the card, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The lower pawls 24 are adapted to be urged into slots 51, formed in the upper marginal edges of the carriage channel member, by pins for extensions52, formed on the terminals of the carriagefor selective engagement with the advertising cards at the end of each run of the carriage, to urge the cards rearwardly and forwardly in their respective compartments. Manifestly the lower pawls 24 are retracted by the inner wall of the carriage slot 51 when the carriage moves ina counter-direction to that which caused the pawls to be set by contact with the pins or extensions 52. The upper pawls 24 operate simultaneously with the lower pawls and operate in an apparent manner to assist the lower pawls in urging the advertising cards forwardly and rearwardly within the casing.

In use of the device, it is apparent that any number of cards may be employed, it being customary to use an unequal number of cards in the compartments of the casing.

The cards are inserted by opening the front apparent that the latter will be rotated and will impart movement to the carriage through the rocker bar 36 in a manner already described. During the cycle of operation, the front finger at? engages the front outermost advertising plate superimposed on the front ledge of the platform and transfers it to the compartment on the right side of the casing, and as the carriage reaches its rightmost position in the casing, the rear finger 47 engages on the rear outermost advertising plate superimposed on the rear ledge 35 of the platform and transfers it to the compartment on the left side of the easing, and tne remaining cards of each compartment urged forwardly and rcarwardly respectively, under the influence of the pawls 24;. While the drive shaft 39 is effective to feed the carriage in both directions on the platform in a positive and effective manner, it has nevertheless been found from experiment that considerable resistance is set up between the carriage and platform. The roller bearing bars 43 eliminate friction and provide a positive connection between the platform and carriage to effect a smooth, positive and effective operation of the carriage at all times. As is apparent the power requirement for operating the carriage is reduced to a minimum. The screw shaft 89 is so constructed that the operating speed of the vehicle in which the exhibitor is mounted will in no way effect eiiicient operation of the device. The cards will be transferred from one compartment to the other in full View of the occupants of the vehicle so as to be clearly legible at any speed at which the vehicle can be operated.

it is to be understood that the device here in illustrated and described is a preferred embodiment of the invention and I am aware that various changes may be made therein, within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

ll' hat is claimed is 1. An advertising exhibitor including a casing equipped with a fixed advertising card receiving platform, a card transfer carriage slidably engaged with said platform, and anti-friction means interposed between the carriage and platform.

2. An advertising exhibitor including a casing equipped with a fixed advertising card receiving platform, a card transfer carriage slidably engaged with said platform, anti-friction means interposed between the carriage and platform, and mechanism for sliding said carriage along the platform, said mechanism including means for reversing the movement of the carriage at each end of the platform.

3. An advertising exhibitor including a casing equipped with a movable advertising card transfer carriage, and a screw shaft in operative connection with the carriage for ALiERT J. KAUFFMAN. 

